almost vegan pizza

What could be better than starting off Vegetarian Awareness month with a meat-free pizza party?! Pizza is one of those wonderful, easy, versatile meals that I can never get sick of. Seriously, you could put anything on a pizza and it would be delicious.

Last week, me and the roommate opened opened some wine, watched Project Runway, and made ourselves some fantastic homemade pizzas!

Stuff you need: 1. Pre-made pizza crusts- we like the ones from Whole Foods- you get 2 per pack 2. Any toppings your heart desires!

Once again, anything on a pizza will taste amazing. Here were our concoctions:

Molly's Pizza!

Side 1: Brie, chopped garlic, carmelized onions, & arugula

Side 2: Tomato sauce, broccoli, zucchini, green bell pepper, & mozzarella cheese

My pizza!

Side 1: Tomato Sauce, zucchini, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, & onion

Side 2: Tomato sauce, tomato slices, fresh basil, & almond cheese

While Molly's pizza was very cheesy, I decided to go with an almost vegan version. My favorite non-cheese cheese is the almond or rice cheese made by Lisanatti Foods. I completely fell in love with it a few years ago, while looking for vegan options to my favorite foods. The texture is impeccable- melts alright, and can be shredded- it's not slimy like a lot of soy cheeses, and best of all the flavor is great. UNFORTUNATELY, it's made with casein, so after all my searching, my favorite vegan cheese isn't vegan at all *sad trombone* If you're looking for a healthy alternative to cheese, I highly recommend this stuff. However, if you're morally opposed to any and all dairy products, this one isn't for you :(

Anyway, it was a delicious pizza party. Both versions were super tasty, and made plenty of food for our lunches the next few days. For next time, Molly recommends getting good quality brie (instead of the cheap-o stuff) so it melts better, and I recommend sautéing the veggies before applying them to the crust, for more flavor, and delicious pizza cohesion. Great night. Great food.

ALSO! Don't forget to check out VeganMoFo when you get the chance! I was too nervous to join in this year, but they're only 3 days in, and there's already TONS of amazing looking dishes! Maybe next year I'll grow a pair and join in the fun :)

b.l.t. & vegenaise

It's always such a nice treat to go home to my parents' house for a few nights. I get to see the folks, play with the pets, sleep in my old bed, and eat tons of delicious meals from a phenomenally stocked pantry. Mom is a huge Vitamin Cottage shopper, so she always has something new and tasty for me to try out when I come home. For lunch today, Mom whipped out a package of tempeh bacon, and we made some vegan BLTs. Normally, I don't like meatless bacon, but apparently I just haven't tried the right brand, cause this stuff is seriously delicious!

Stuff you need: 1. Bread 2. Vegenaise 3. Tempeh Bacon 4. Lettuce 5. Tomato

Start by heating up a little olive oil in a skillet. When the pan is warm, throw in your tempeh bacon- we found that 2 strips was perfect for each sandwich. While the fakin' bacon is browning, pop your bread into the toaster, and slice up your tomato and lettuce.

When the tempeh strips are slightly browned and warmed through, pull them off the heat and assemble your sandwiches! Take a piece of toast, slather it with Vegenaise, and top it with your bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Boom. Lunch is served.

Okay, it's not rocket science, but honestly, this sandwich blew me away. The bacon's texture is thick with just the right amount of bite, and the taste is like smoked hickory maple goodness. Add a dollop of Vegenaise and some fresh vegetables? That is a damn good sandwich. If you haven't tried tempeh bacon yet, I highly recommend it.

And speaking of amazing products, I can't believe I haven't mentioned Vegenaise before, cause I absolutely love it! It's perfect on sandwiches, in cole slaw, for egg salad, and just about any recipe that calls for mayo. I was never a huge mayo fan in the first place, but Vegenaise is lower in saturated fat than the regular stuff, I love the flavor, and no animals were harmed in the making of it. Sounds like a pretty good combo to me :)

So with my adoration for Vegenaise, and my newfound obsession with tempeh bacon, a BLT was the perfect lunch today. Thanks Mom and Pop! ♥

a good vegetarian hot dog

My friends occasionally ask me if I miss burgers and other meat products considering that I've been meat free for over a year now. I must say, a beef burger is happily replaced with a veggie patty or portobello, and I've really liked all the fake chicken that I've tried. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for hot dogs. I love hot dogs, and sadly, have not found a suitable vegetarian version.

Today, Dad and I went to the store during one of our hot dog cravings, and picked up some Tofurky kielbasa for lunch. Add some BBQ chips, carrots, and all the necessary toppings, and it looks pretty tasty, right?

Lies. Another failed hot dog attempt. I'm probably biased, since I hate the taste of most Tofurky products, but seriously, the kielbasa was not what I wanted at all. It was dense, tasted terrible, and not all the ketchup and mustard in the world could help make that edible. I actually ate half and gave the rest to my dog.

I'm sure with a little seasoning, this could be chopped up and put in a scramble or soup or something, but as a hot dog? Absolutely not. I will check that one off the list, and continue on in my vegetarian hot dog quest.

breakfast dilemma & morningstar farms

When I arrived at work this morning, I found my friend Jenna in a breakfast dilemma. She came to work armed with a package of Morningstar Farms bacon, egg and cheese breakfast biscuits when she discovered that one of our coworkers had brought in homemade breakfast burritos for $2, which, I might say, are absolutely delicious. On top of this, she also found out, much to her dismay, that Morningstar Farms is a vegetarian company, and this said "bacon biscuit" contained no real bacon at all- mind you, my friend is an avid carnivore. Thus, Jenna's breakfast dilemma.

This is where I enter. Eat your vegetarian bacon biscuit so it doesn't go to waste, even though I've already had a wee apple for breakfast, just so you can eat a meaty burrito instead? Oh twist my arm.

First and foremost, it's a little high in calories and fat than I'd like in my breakfasts. Usually I stick to oatmeal, fresh fruits, or toast, so this 270 calorie pocket (with 80 fat calories and 8 grams of fat) was not part of my diet. However, it is seriously tasty. Throw aside all caloric numbers and thoughts of the treadmill, and this is a mighty fine breakfast. It nukes quickly in the microwave, the flavors are great, and the biscuit was soft and moist.

I probably won't make a habit of eating these all the time, but if I was forced to eat one again in order to help out a friend, I would have absolutely no problems in doing so :)

This was hands down the best breakfast dilemma I've been part of. Any food crisis that ends with me eating awesome, free, vegetarian food is a.o.k by me.

stir fry & simply asia sauce

Stir fry is one of those go-to , meals that I know I can always fall back on for a quick, healthy, and always delicious dinner. Tonight was that night, however, instead of throwing a little of this and that into the wok, I decided to try one of the stir fry sauces from Simply Asia, and I must say, it turned out pretty good.

Stuff you need: 1. Vegetables 2. Simply Asia stir fry sauce- or your own homemade sauce 3.Rice or noodles- totally optional 4. A splash of canola oil 5. Anything else you'd like to throw in- garlic, ginger, spices, etc.

Start by chopping up all your vegetables. After a quick trip to the store, I found myself with onion, carrots, broccoli, red cabbage, red bell pepper, and some left over mushrooms from the other night. Stir fry tip #1: chop all the ingredients to around the same size so everything cooks evenly. Aren't the colors beautiful?

When all your veggies are prepped, throw a splash of canola oil into your wok and heat it up on high (you can also use a skillet with some olive oil, if you'd rather). If you're adding garlic, ginger, or hot peppers, I would start by throwing those in the wok. If not, then just start cooking up your vegetables! Stir fry tip #2: put the ingredients into the wok from hardest to softest, once again, to help everything cook evenly. I started out with the carrots and worked my way up to the cabbage. When everything is cooked to your preferred tenderness, squeeze in that sauce packet, or start adding various sauces and spices until it tastes just the way you like it.

I used Simply Asia's General Tsao's sauce, and it was pretty good. It had nice flavor, and it made this speedy meal even faster to prepare. Unfortunately, the sodium content is pretty high, so I think that next time I'll stick to making my own concotion. If you're tight on time, these stir fry sauces are a great option, but I definitely wouldn't make a habit out of it.

I heated up a little rice from the weekend, spooned my colorful mixture on top, and dug in! Seriously, I love stir fry. It always makes me feel healthy, and it's a great kitchen sink recipe cause you can throw pretty much anything in it- fresh vegetables, tofu, nuts, pineapple, mango, seitan, frozen vegetables, rice, noodles, you name it. Not only was this a delicious dinner, but the leftovers will be just as good tomorrow for lunch :)

breakfast burritos & daiya cheese

Let me begin by saying that I am NOT a morning person. I usually make my lunch, lay out my clothes, and make extensive lists the night before, otherwise I always end up forgetting something important first thing in the morning. This is why last night I decided to make a big batch of vegan breakfast burritos to last me the next few weeks. A healthy homemade breakfast burrito always beats eating plain toast while running out the door, and trying to put on eyeliner in the car.

Stuff you need: 1. 1 firm block of tofu it will be about 6 burritos) 2. some tortillas (the regular size is fine) 3. tasty salsa 4. vegan cheese (or regular cheese or no cheese- your choice) 5. spices 6. foil

Start by squeezing the liquid out of the tofu like normal. When your skillet is warmed to about medium, crumble the block of tofu into the hot pan. Season the tofu with your favorite spices (I used tobasco, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and CUMIN♥ to stick with the Mexican breakfast theme). When the tofu is warmed through and spiced to your liking, take a tortilla and throw it in the microwave for 25 seconds.

Pull the tortilla out of the microwave and put it on top of a piece of foil. Add some tofu, salsa, and cheese to the tortilla and roll it up nice and tight (don't forget to tuck in the ends). Wrap the burrito up in foil and throw it in the freezer. DONE AND DONE!

A breakfast burrito was perfect this morning! I grabbed one on my way out the door, and when I got to my office, I took the burrito out of the foil, and microwaved it for about a minute or so in a paper towel. A hot, healthy, and incredibly easy-to-make breakfast like that! I love it.

Here is my only complaint: the cheese. I know this is heresy, but I don't think I liked the Daiya vegan cheese I purchased. I've read about this stuff everywhere, and everyone and their mom says that this it's the best cheese substitute out there. Of course I had to try it! The texture is phenomenal- it does, indeed, melt and stretch just like real cheese, but there's no way I can get past the taste. Maybe I needed more salsa, or spices, or maybe there was too much cheese for the little burrito, but I definitely did NOT like the taste at all. I can't put my finger on it -like, old soy cheese with better texture? Maybe the flavor is too strong for cheese? I don't know, but it wasn't good.

I haven't given up on Daiya just yet. Since everyone loves it to death, I'm going to keep around the rest of the bag so I can try a dip or pizza or something, but until it impresses me, strike 1, Daiya, strike 1.

I think I'm in love with the homemade breakfast burrito idea.

On my next batch, I'll just skip the cheese altogether :)

mac & ribs- product reviews

I always get inappropriately excited when I find cool new veggie products that I've never tried before. I just wanted to mention two fantastic items that I've recently stumbled on.

1. Hickory BBQ Riblets from Morningstar Farms. They come with 2 little riblets (shown above) and are frozen in their own sauce. Heat up the oven to 350, and 30 minutes later, they're good to go. I think my carvinorous friends were super jealous when my ribs took half the time to make, and tasted just as good as theirs. No really. The riblets have a good texture, and the flavor was great. DEFINITELY needs some more BBQ sauce on top, but otherwise a totally tasty dinner. Oh! And too boot, it's vegan! Yayy!

2. Vegan Rice Macaroni & Cheeze from Amy's. Now I know the thought of gluten AND dairy free macaroni and cheese sounds repulsive, but let me tell you differently. First and foremost, I love that this exists in the first place. People with specialty diets rejoice! I also love that it's a quick, frozen meal that you can pop in the microwave anytime. 5 minutes later, you have a hot, sinless meal, that's surprisingly delicious. Now this definitely isn't your mom's gooey, cheesey, mac 'n' cheese, so when you dig in, don't expect that. The cheese flavor is a little off, but it's actually pretty good for being vegan! If you're not used to the taste of vegan dairy substitutes, you have been warned. Otherwise, stir it up, and enjoy!

Before I end, I'd like to pass on one more bit of vegan fun. I found this article by Mark Bittman, and I love the message. It's mostly press for his new book, but he also mentions how we revamped his lifestyle with a pesudo-vegan diet- "vegan until six"- and is now happier and healthier than ever. I like his thoughts about finding a diet that fits your lifestyle, especially one that's good for your body, and kind to the earth. Just something cool to think about :)